Robert Urbanek
Platinum Member
A loophole in the U.S. Constitution, expanded by Congress, lets the president of the United States murder his political enemies with impunity.
Until 1971, persons who attempted to assassinate members of Congress, a candidate for president or vice president, and various other high federal officials were prosecuted by the state in which the offense occurred.
Congress found this situation to be unsatisfactory on at least two counts: 1) Persons who committed assassination faced widely varying sentences and could escape the death penalty, and 2) Local jurisdictions might not have adequate resources to effectively investigate and prosecute a case.
Legislation, effective in 1971 and amended through 1996, seemingly remedied this by making it a federal crime, punishable by imprisonment or death, to kill members of Congress, members of Congress-elect, department heads, the CIA director and deputy director, presidential and vice presidential candidates, and federal justices and justice nominees.
While supposedly deterring any assault against their exalted beings, members of Congress failed to grasp that making their assassination a federal crime also made it a crime eligible for a presidential pardon. Article 2 Section 2 of the Constitution provides that the president “shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”
That means a president could freely send forth his minions to kill any member of Congress, the Supreme Court and any presidential candidate and then, when the assassins are arrested and indicted, grant them pardons so they can be released and carry on further assassinations as required. Eliminating or intimidating a sufficient number of uncooperative senators and representatives would make impeachment a moot point.
Michael: My father is no different than any powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator.
Kay Adams: Do you know how naive you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don't have men killed.
Michael: Oh. Who's being naive, Kay?
— The Godfather
Until 1971, persons who attempted to assassinate members of Congress, a candidate for president or vice president, and various other high federal officials were prosecuted by the state in which the offense occurred.
Congress found this situation to be unsatisfactory on at least two counts: 1) Persons who committed assassination faced widely varying sentences and could escape the death penalty, and 2) Local jurisdictions might not have adequate resources to effectively investigate and prosecute a case.
Legislation, effective in 1971 and amended through 1996, seemingly remedied this by making it a federal crime, punishable by imprisonment or death, to kill members of Congress, members of Congress-elect, department heads, the CIA director and deputy director, presidential and vice presidential candidates, and federal justices and justice nominees.
While supposedly deterring any assault against their exalted beings, members of Congress failed to grasp that making their assassination a federal crime also made it a crime eligible for a presidential pardon. Article 2 Section 2 of the Constitution provides that the president “shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”
That means a president could freely send forth his minions to kill any member of Congress, the Supreme Court and any presidential candidate and then, when the assassins are arrested and indicted, grant them pardons so they can be released and carry on further assassinations as required. Eliminating or intimidating a sufficient number of uncooperative senators and representatives would make impeachment a moot point.
Michael: My father is no different than any powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator.
Kay Adams: Do you know how naive you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don't have men killed.
Michael: Oh. Who's being naive, Kay?
— The Godfather
